GMA SHOULDN'T PASS THE BLAME! DEGRADATION, MISERY, POOR HEALTH AND STUNTEDINTELLECTUAL GROWTH ARE ALL THAT'S IN STORE FOR THE FILIPINO PEOPLE UNDERMACAPAGAL-ARROYO ADMINISTRATION - REP. BELTRAN

Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran today said that Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration has no right to blame the country's worseningeconomic situation on the insurgency, or unemployment."Why - is it theinsurgents who sign all those executive orders and laws that liberalize thecountry's trade and finance which has the effect of destroying the localeconomy and wipe-out businesses and the livelihood of millions of workers? Foran economic expert, the president has the most illogical and non-sequiturresponses. She shouldn't pass the blame because the blame is solely hers andher government's," he asserted.

Beltran said that the government will not be able to make a dent in theworsening poverty of the Filipino people because, he said, the government'seconomic policies and political platform was geared towards further opening thecrucial sectors of the economy to the plunder and exploitation of foreigninvestors and multilateral finance agencies whose main goals is to extract thegreatest from the country at the lowest capital outlay and actual cashinfusion.

Beltran said that the latest Social Weather Survey (SWS) exposing the worseningpoverty incidence in the country did not really reveal anything new, "At leastnothing that isn't already know, felt and suffered by majority of poor andworking Filipinos who are the main victims of the Macapagal-Arroyoadministration's fiscal crisis and even more fiscal solutions.An August 5-22 national survey by Manila-based Social Weather Stations found a"near-record-high 15.1 percent of household heads reporting that their familieshad experienced hunger, without having anything to eat, at least once in thelast three months."Fifty-three percent of households rated themselves as poor.An International Monetary Fund country report released this week said four in 10Filipinos earned two dollars a day or less.Official figures show the Philippinesjobless rate stood at 13.7 percent in April."No doubt, the lives of Filipino will only continue to worsen underMacapagal-Arroyo. There is no hope to be had under her administration given itsrefusal to implement radical economic reforms that will provide immediate andmuch needed relief to Filipinos," he said.

Beltran said that the Arroyo government won't even consider giving a respite forconsumers from the relentless series of oil price hikes and escalating rates ofelectricity and water services.

"Instead of responding to the needs of the people for better wages, lower pricesof goods and services, the administration hastens to appease foreign investorsand give them full assistance as these multinationals and transnationalsexploit the low wage policy and the tax exemption programs. The 2005 nationalbudget proposal itself is a blueprint for worsened neglect for social andeconomic services for the poor majority. Degradation, misery, poor health andstunted intellectual growth are all that's in store for the Filipino peopleunder Macapagal-Arroyo," he said.

In the meantime, the veteran labor leader said that the Macapagl-Arroyo govt'sban on strikes is outright political repression against workers who are ragingagainst the government and employers' continuing attacks against their economicwelfare. According to Beltran, the strike ban was being used to entice foreigninvestors o come into the country and further exploit the government's low age,labor flexibility schemes. He said that the strike ban was unconstitutional andgoes against the internationally recognized right of labor to launch collectiveaction even strikes in defense of their rights.

"This ban only proves how serious the economic crisis is, and how desperate thegovernment is to contain the burgeoning protests against it. Pres. Arroyo ismistaken, however, if she thinks that a strike ban will stop workers fromprotesting and denouncing her government. There can be no industrial peace ifthere is no justice for labor," he said.#